The Rising
by andrewf12
Summary: The Volturi are falling, but something far more sinister may be about to rise.
1. Introduction

**I won't beg for reviews, but it would be great if you did. This probably won't make too much sense until the end, but trust me, stick with it, it's going to get really good. Told by the one, the only, Aro.**

Maybe it's just me, maybe not. I sat there the other day, thinking. That's all. Just thinking. I've been doing that a lot lately, more and more since that day, the one that changed my life forever. Life, that's what I've been thinking about. Life sucks. No other way of putting it really. When you have that one sliver of hope to begin with, a tiny spark in the darkness, and then it grows. It catches, and before you know it, you're on top of the world, held up by so much hope it actually feels real. And then. And then.

A crack in the world's fabric and it all comes crashing down. A tear, a great gaping hole, and then it is no more the tranquil paradise it once was. Finally, when the life is sucked from the world, when the world is dead, more dead than the deepest, darkest circle of the Infernal Chasm, you give in. Stop fighting, and surrender your will to that of the gods. But what if there are no gods? What if the solace you seek is no longer available and you're alone in a cold place? Who do you turn to then? There's only one person left. And they're the scariest person you will ever have to turn to, the last person you want to rely on. Yourself. On the frail surface of this planet revolving at over a thousand miles an hour, populated by over six billion people, and the only person you can rely on is yourself. Well, it's understandable I suppose. When you've retreated so far into yourself that you know the darkest recesses of your souls, the deepest, most sinister desires that you have ever felt you'd be bound to feel a little scared if you have to rely on yourself.

But why, why must I rely on myself? I've lived longer than most, less than some; I've seen sights that other people, mortal people, would only dream of. The basest creatures of all creation came crawling to my feet and begged for mercy, the most glorious of all my kind could have been dispatched with a snap of my fingers. And I spared them. In my foolishness, I let my destroyers-to-be live. Live? I gave them hope, and kept a little for myself, hoping that they would see my side, hoping that they would love me as I loved them.

They were, I admit, just my little pets, a project I'd embarked on, massing the vampires to create a civilisation like no other. But they weren't ready. When they saw how easy it was to go clean, they started to desert me. Bit by bit, little by little, my small city disintegrated. Chelsea left first, swiftly followed by Jane. Alec pined without her, so I took pity on him, of course, and let him leave to find his sister, but I knew it wouldn't be long until others started leaving as well. So we moved from Volterra, our ancient home, the Volturi no more.

Of course, we've all been told where they've been going, although even I find the reports hard to believe. I know that Carlisle is many things, an extraordinary being, but I don't think that even he, with his charisma and the ability that even he doesn't know he has, would be capable of drawing these people from my grasp. People who are indebted to me, owe their very creation to my gift of immortality. So where do they go? Well that's what we're hoping to find out. Of course, it could be that intriguing creature Bella, but I doubt that her shield could extend that far, although my ideas of how strong she actually is are vague and quite possibly inaccurate. Renata remains with me, of course, faithful to the end; Felix and Demetri both, although Demetri is frustrated to say the least. He can't track the people who have gone, they vanish from the moment they leave the studded gates of our once proud city behind. If I were as powerful as I once was, if I hadn't waned since Sulpicia's mysterious disappearance then I would perhaps be able to help the greatest tracker we have, remove the blocks. But I do not possess the same strength I once did. The Volturi are not falling, whatever you might hear. We have fallen.

And then he came, the shining knight with the topaz eyes. Our saviour, resplendent in rags.


	2. 1: A Lost Lover and An Old Friend

"Love songs are the lamentations of the lonely." That's what I thought when I heard Tia's latest warblings, whilst I stood, gazing out at the starless night. She sang of many things, of lost friends, of old enemies, of trials faced, all by her and her lover. Where he is, I do not know, although if half of what she says is true then I would have dearly loved to have known him, and perhaps even, once upon a time, recruited him? But I tuned out, focussing more on my internal feelings, the current problem that reared its ugly head. What was I supposed to do to hold my crumbling family together? After all, we were splitting at the seams, and soon the very core of the Volturi would leave us forever.

Wrapped in my own well of self pity, I failed to hear that Tia had stopped singing; I failed to see that she had gone rigid; I failed to notice the sudden pallor of her cheeks; I failed to spot the tear that rolled down her face. What I did hear, on that warm night on the walls of Volterra, was her startled gasp, a sudden, sharp intake of breath. She stared at one single spot far in the distance, and had I been able to see as far as that young vampire could, I would have known what it was she saw. Instead, I was forced to resort to more indirect experience. My fingers almost imperceptibly brushed hers, only for an instant, and I was immersed.

A single touch was all I needed, and I had gathered the thoughts that were so precious to Tia. Once upon a time this would have been almost second nature to me, and I wouldn't have thought twice about it, but now, now it felt like a massive intrusion into the minds of those I touched. So I was brief, and refused to linger in her mind, despite the myriad of thoughts which appeared in my mind in a great whirl, dazzling me with their brilliance, rending my heart with their emotion, and enriching my mind with their joy all at the same time. But I knew what I was looking for, so I sieved through and saw, with her eyes, what it was that she had glimpsed on the far distant horizon. The most glorious figure that has ever walked on the surface of this god-forsaken rock, hurtling round the sun at 67,000 miles an hour round a great flaming ball of hellish inferno, spinning at over 1000 miles an hour, was running towards us in glorious flight, flowing with an easy, loping grace over the endless Italian hills. Bronze hair flying in the wind, topaz eyes gleaming in the moonlight, the most unexpected visitor was coming to Volterra. But the most confusing thought of all overwhelmed me within a fraction of a fraction of a second, and that was the joyous recognition that swept through Tia's mind, and relief at his approach. Edward Cullen had come to Volterra.

Shock pulsed through my veins, replacing the blood that had long since run dry, and my soft papery skin felt like it had acquired a glowing quality. Of all the surprises, this was perhaps the sweetest that had ever existed, and the most worrying. What was Edward doing here, and where was his usual companion, the beatific Bella? And why did his eyes appear wide and frantic, as if he were being hounded by the relentless Avenging Furies? For surely this god amongst insects couldn't be coming to Volterra by choice, could he? After all, he hated all things Volturi, although we hadn't heard from him since that day nine years previously when the entirety of our forces spilled from the city to exact a great and terrible punishment on him, his daughter, and any who defended them. But that punishment never came, and Caius left Forks in a fury that was terrible to behold.

This fury was the reason that caused me to turn and run, straight as a die toward the great citadel of Volterra, under which the ancient city of vampires is. If Caius was surprised by the Cullen boy, he would order Felix and Demetri to snap him like a twig. He had to be warned, and reasoned with, before Cullen's arrival. I don't know if Tia heard, but as I ran, I called back to her, asking her to delay his imminent appearance at the three thrones.

Through the bronze riveted inner gates I sped, past the once inhabited houses, through the now empty city. That in itself was a mystery: on our return from Forks we found the city utterly deserted, save for one raving she-vampire called Sudame, and there were no bodies, nor was there the smell of blood on her. However, I didn't have time to dwell on this intriguing occurrence, or on Sudame herself, who in herself proved to be a bizarre creature, as I was now at the doors to the hall with the three thrones, which we now kept permanently guarded. None were above questioning as they approached the doors, although I was approaching far too fast for me to stop in time. Even so, I still hollered the password, "Blood and stones for the three thrones", to make sure that the guards, officious upstarts that they were, didn't follow me and question me further as I skidded to a stop before Caius.

In the interest of time, rather than subtlety, I didn't mince my words, and put it to him straight: "Edward Cullen is coming, he's five minutes away"

As expected, Caius' face contorted into a scowl of rage, as the memory of his own personal humiliation in front of the wolves rose to the forefront of his mind. Two words left his mouth in a constricted whisper, "Kill him"

"But he's alone, and, from what Tia saw, he was panicked, and looked like he was coming for help"

"He is a known enemy of the Volturi; he should not come here, even if he is seeking help. We do not offer aid to our foes."

"Let us first hear what he has to say. We have troubles of our own, and he may be the only one who can help. After all, he doesn't have Bella with him, and his pack of pets is absent as well."

"Very well. But if he so much as threatens any one of us, we shall kill him. There will be no mercy shown."

In the knowledge that this mild acceptance was the best I would get out of Caius, I didn't push him any further, although from the look on Marcus' face, he, at least, would support me if I went against Caius later in the proceedings. And many of our followers also looked uncertain at Caius' rage and his seeming irrational desire for Edward's death when he approached in good faith.

These words having been exchanged there was a tense wait for Edward to arrive, and when we heard the light footfalls of two vampires outside, we formed into the traditional greeting stance, with all three thrones occupied, and Felix and Demetri on either side of them. Sudame sat at the edge of the hall, rocking as she sat, and muttering, with her eyes shut tight. She refused to allow anyone to so much as touch her, and in that instant, I thought of a favour I could ask of Edward in return for our aid in whatever had caused his madness.

That was one of the longest, most tense waits that I have ever experienced in my long life. Had we felt the need to breathe, I am sure it would have been heavy, monotonous, and would have heightened the drama. As it was, the atmosphere was so fraught with nervous energy it could have been cut with a spoon, let alone a knife. Almost all eyes were fixed on the doors of the chamber. All except those of Sudame's. Following her gaze, I realised she was staring straight at one of the windows around the edge of the dome. Framed against the stars was a silhouette. A silhouette of Edward Cullen.


End file.
